What does a pope do? His role and daily duties as leader of the Catholic Church
New pope Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church following two days of voting by the conclave in Rome.
White smoke billowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel around 5pm today (May 8) meaning that a cardinal had secured the required two-thirds majority for election.
The new pope, US cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. There are around 1.41 billion Catholics in the world.
The pope makes decisions on issues of faith and morality for Catholics throughout the world.
The pope's regular Vatican appointments include a blessing for tourists and pilgrims every Sunday from the window of his private study overlooking Saint Peter's Square.
The pope presides over religious celebrations of all the major church festivals of the year inside Saint Peter's, including Christmas and Easter.
Past popes have celebrated Mass every morning in their private chapel before spending time in their office to deal with paperwork.
One of the duties of a pope is to meet at least once every five years with his more than 5,000 bishops from around the world - roughly 1,000 a year, or 20 a week.
The pope lives in Vatican City, an ecclesiastical state and enclave surrounded by Rome.
He receives several visits from heads of state, ambassadors, and other representatives throughout the year.
Recommended reading:
New pope to be elected after two days of voting in Vatican
What is the papal conclave process? How the new pope is elected
When did Pope Francis become the pope and how long was he in the role for?
The pope also works on various documents, including doctrinal statements and legal guidelines, often with the assistance of staff.
Throughout the day, prayer and meditation are also a huge part of the pope's schedule.
The pope will also travel outside of Rome frequently for engagements, and to also take breaks.
It was believed that the late Pope Francis was said to enjoy "waking up later during his vacation time" and doing 'more reading for pleasure, listening to music and praying'.
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